Former FSIS official joins OSI

Dr. Petersen will lead the company's quality assurance and food safety functions and serve as chair of OSI's Global Quality Council, the company said. Also, Dr. Petersen will join OSI’s North America Leadership Team. He will report to David McDonald, president and COO.

“We are excited to welcome Ken to the OSI team,” McDonald said. “With his extensive experience at the forefront of the industry’s food safety policy and practices, he will effectively guide OSI’s ongoing commitment to deliver superior quality products to our customers and their consumers.”

Before joining OSI, Dr. Petersen was president of the Division of Regulatory Compliance at IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group. He also served as assistant administrator for the Office of Field Operations in the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), where he oversaw 8,000 inspectors conducting HACCP verifications, recalls and enforcement at 6,200 domestic meat, poultry and processed egg product businesses.

Dr. Petersen holds a Ph.D. in veterinary medicine from the Univ. of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where he also earned a bachelor of science in physiology. He earned a master's degree in public health from Uniformed Services Univ. of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. and is a board certified diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM).